Mumbai: Yash Raj Films (YRF) is expected to exceed its revenue from FY22 and FY20 in FY23, driven by the superlative success of Pathaan, even as movies like Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Samrat Prithviraj, and Shamshera underperformed, said CEO Akshaye Widhani.

“FY23 will be bigger than FY22 and FY20 in terms of revenue,” Widhani told ET. He added the revenue growth will be driven by Pathaan, as the production house’s previous three releases had underperformed.

Pathaan has collected Rs. 1,047 crores in gross box office collections globally. In FY22, the company posted a net profit of Rs. 115 crores on operating income of Rs. 614 crores, according to an Acuite Ratings report. The production house recorded a net profit of Rs. 61 crores on revenues of Rs. 614 crore in FY20.

“All our revenue comes from new films and catalogue films. We have close to 80 films in our library. We are slowly going to amp up OTT content production, which will become a key contributor,” he said. Widhani said one of YRF’s key priorities going forward is to expand the theatrical reach of its films. 

Pathaan was released across 8,000 screens in over 100 countries. “We want to widen our theatrical reach and get more footfalls into the theatres. . . ,” he stated.

Widhani said the company would like to retain the intellectual property rights to the OTT shows that it will produce, just as it does with films. “We would like to retain the IP rights to all our future films and shows. Eventually, you will be as valuable as your content,” he said, noting that streaming platforms also want to own the IP.

In the film business, the Spy Universe will continue to be a big focus area for the company since all the films under this IP have done well.

The studio is in the process of firming up its film slate for the next two years. “We have never bound ourselves to a certain number of films that we will produce. It is not a number's game,” he said.